SV has been my much-loved favourite for many years. “Manna de Sicilia” seems now to be no longer available. It was a very fine shaving soap, heavy lather with a marvellous finish. There were few varieties of SV on offer a few weeks ago, and I opted for “cosmo”, a type I had never tried. Now containing no tallow I was curious to try the new Beta 4.3 formulation, 100% vegetable extracts, but knowing how the old Tabac formula suffered after taking this path I was also a bit doubtful of the quality of the new brew.
My initial reaction to the Cosmo was not so favourable. Highly scented the lather was lighter than the older products, and unpleasantly irritating on my skin. Nonetheless it still made for an excellent shave.
I left the puck open. out of the can for a week, scenting the whole house, noting a gradual reduction as volatiles evaporated. Prior to my second attempt I applied one drop of jojoba oil to my face, as a protective layer. This time much better, no irritation and less scent, and again an excellent shave.
I’m guessing the Cosmo will settle down to an agreeable level of scent in the next few weeks with a consequent reduction of irritation. My remaining old batch of SV is now quite odourless, as is the Tobs sandalwood, my other favourite, which I use alternately, both a year old or thereabouts.
With both a sensitive nose and somewhat sensitive skin my first experience might be more extreme than some, but after a month’s airing I’m expecting a much better performance.
Is it worth the money? There are other far less- expensive products available, but SV certainly lives up to its place as a luxury shaving soap in performance and finish. Once that perfume evaporates Cosmo should be just as pleasing.
